Granted, these reports come from unnamed sources, so take all this as fun speculation, but rumors coming out of Chicago say that pre-pre-production has commenced -- specifically, set builders, stuntmen and film crews are currently being hired for the project. As Batman-On-Film states, it's not out of the ordinary for these types of jobs to be filled this early on (since these are roles that can't be filled at the last minute), but it's still looking like February 2009 will be the official pre-production start date.

In the meantime, Bat-fans can pass the hours waiting for official word on the film by counting down the days until "The Dark Knight" DVD is released on December 9, with over three hours of bonus footage and a tons of other specials that will leave fans with bigger smiles than the Joker's.

So what do you say, Batman fans? Do the rumors of a "Dark Knight" sequel already moving forward have you excited? Or are you waiting for official word from Warner Bros.? Let's hear what you have to say in the comments.